33 - Reasons For Electoral Failures Of The Conservative Party, 1997-2007

Question 1

Who won 3 successive electoral victories?

Answer 1

Blair

Question 2

How much of the electorate voted in 2001? How much in 2005?

Answer 2

59%

61.4%

Question 3

What did many commentators put the lower voting turnouts down to? Why?

Answer 3

Voter apathy

Blair was thought to be able to easily win

Question 4

What did other commentators believe people were becoming disillusioned with? What system did they believe lacked support?

Answer 4

Politics

Political system

Question 5

How did the Conservatives look? Who was well-respected despite this?

Answer 5

Tired and lackluster

Party leaders

Question 6

What did the Tories not offer a viable alternative to?

Answer 6

Labour

Question 7

What fundamental problem continued to bitterly divide the Tories?

Answer 7

Europe

Question 8

When was William Hague leader of the Conservatives? Who resigned in 1997?

Answer 8

1997-2001

Major

Question 9

Who was the obvious leader to take over from Major? What was an issue with him that cost him widespread support?

Answer 9

Clarke

Too pro-Europe

Question 10

What faction of the Tory Party was Hague associated with? What stance did he concentrate too much on in the 2001 election?

Answer 10

Right

Anti-European stance

Question 11

Why was the Tory Party under Hague considered too narrow to be an alternative to Blair?

Answer 11

Hague’s anti-European stance

Question 12

When was Iain Duncan Smith leader of the Tories? How was he seen?

Answer 12

2001-03

Uncharismatic

Question 13

Which leader performed poorly in Parliament against Blair? Who replaced him in 2003?

Answer 13

IDS

Howard

Question 14

When was Michael Howard leader of the Tory Party? What role did he hold in Major’s government?

Answer 14

2003-05

Home Secretary

Question 15

What quality did Howard command? How did he perform in Parliament?

Answer 15

Widespread respect

Well

Question 16

What did the Tories lack against Blair in the 2005 election? Who replaced Howard in 2005?

Answer 16

An alternative agenda

David Cameron

Question 17

What was a consequence of the Tories trying to criticise Labour’s record of public spending? Why was this a particular problem for the Tories?

Answer 17

They were expected to do better

They were the party of reduced spending

Question 18

Why would reduced spending be an issue for the Tories? What 2 public sector areas seemed under constant pressure?

Answer 18

Voters were concerned about reductions

Schools and NHS

Question 19

What were 2 strong areas the Tories campaigned on? Why was this specifically an issue under Howard?

Answer 19

Law and immigration

He had a poor record as Home Secretary

Question 20

Who was put under a difficult position during New Labour? What did they lack in order to attack Blair’s government?

Answer 20

Tories

Viable stances

Question 21

What time period did the Tories fail to recover from with problems and divisions? What did they never look an alternative to?

Answer 21

1990s

New Labour

Question 22

What Labour victories did the Tories not fear? What hostility was feared about the electorate?

Answer 22

Election victories

Hostility towards the political system

Question 23

What divisions replaced the post-war consensus, particularly under Thatcher? What was this consensus replaced by in the 21st century?

Answer 23

Wider political divisions

A new consensus

Question 24

What did IDS tell his Party in November 2002 at a press conference?

Answer 24

“My message is simple and stark, unite or die.”